(2.) That the presence of God may be continued with us, though we be cast into deep afflictions : ' As persecuted, but not forsaken,' 2 Cor. iv. 9. He is miserable indeed who is forsaken of God, bu^not he who is persecuted by man. Ccelestis ira quospremit miser os facit humana nulhs — God's anger makes those miserable upon whom it lights, but not man's. They may be miserable that live in pomp, jollity, and ease, and they may be happy that live in straits and pressures. Christ was ' a man of sorrows,' yet God was with him : Jolin xvi. 32, ' I am not alone, because the Father is with me.' Had Christ anything less of tlie presence of God for his troubles ? Sins separate, afflictions do not : Vs. xci. 13, ' I will be with him in trouble.' In the body of man, if
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any member be hurt, presently the blood and the humours run thither, and the man is wholly taken up about that part which is hurt ; his eyes, his hands, his tongue, as if he forgot all the rest : his speech is about the hurt part, his eye is directed thither, his hand thither. In a family, if one of the children be' sick, all the mother's care is about that child, to tend him, to take care of him, to blandish him, insomuch that the rest do many times even envy his sickness. If nature do thus, will not the God of nature do more ? If an earthly parent be so careful of a sick child, will not an heavenly Father, whose love is far more tender, take care of the hurt part of Christ's mystical body ? The sick child is most looked after. This is the difference between God and the world ; the world looketh after the happy, the flourishing, but leaveth those who are in want and afEiction. As all watfers run to the sea, where there is enough already, so do the respects of the world to the happy and the mighty. But God goeth another way to work, he visits them that are in tribulation, comforts them that are mourners in Zion.
(3.) Those that are rightly qualified are sure to have the presence of God with them.
(Is^.) They that fear God, and make it their business to please him : Ps. cxv. 5, ' He hath given meat to them that fear him ; he will ever be mindful of his covenant ; ' John viii. 29, ' The Father hath not left me alone, for I do always the things that please him.'
(2d) Those that moderate their desires to earthly things, and do first seek heavenly : Mat. vi. 33, ' Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.' By so doing you drive on both cares at once. There needeth not so much ado about the world ; you may desire and have in spirituals ; yea, and other things cast into the bargain.
(3d) Those that depend on his providence. They that do not trust God cannot be long true to him. Uprightness is founded in a belief of God's all-sufficiency : Gen. xvii. 1, ' When Abraham was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abraham, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God ; walk before me, and be thou perfect.' They that will not depend on God's providence seek by lies, violence, and neglect of godliness to make their worldly portion great. One great mischief introduced by the fall was that man would be his own carver ; we would have our portion and stock in our own hands, would have the care of ourselves devolved wholly upon ourselves, or else we grow distrustful of God : Gen. iii. 22, ' The man is become as one of us, knowing good and evil.' Our business at first was to please our creator, and not to take care and thought for ourselves. It was our Father's part to preserve us and provide for us, to bestow good and keep off the evil ; but e\^ery man since would have life, and his comfort, and his safety in his own hands, and so much of temporal happiness as he seeth good. There is no way to rectify it but to return to our in- nocency ; to mind our duty, and cast our burden on the Lord, com- mending success and events to him : 1 Peter v. 7, ' Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you ; ' and Phil. iv. 6, ' Be careful for nothing ; but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let our requests be made known unto God;' upon con-
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ficlence that his hand and providence will not neglect us, or any of our concernments.
(4.) Those that are contented with what their Father alloweth. When God giveth sufficient to supply our necessities, we seek to satisfy our lusts ; when God hath done enough, and more than enough, to evidence his power, justice, truth, and care of our welfare, yet we will not rest on him, unless he will subject his providence to our will and carnal affections. As the Israelites, when miraculously fed, miracul- lously clothed ; God kept a market for them, gave them their supplies, not out of earth, but out of the clouds, yet 'tempted God in their hearts, asking meat for their lusts,' Ps. Ixxviii. 19. Yea, it is said, Ps. cvi. 13, 14, ' They soon forgat his works ; they waited not for his counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness : ' they made haste, they for- gat his works ; so it is in the Hebrew. Carnal desires greatly trans- port ; they must have festival diet in the wilderness, or they will no longer believe his power and serve him. Thus when men take the ruling of themselves into their own hands, they will not stay till God provide for them, but must have their carnal desires presently satisfied : Mat. V. 5, ' The meek shall inherit the earth.' But who are meek ? They that quietly submit to God's providence, and so they have food and raiment, and have any time to glorify God, and seek his kingdom, and the salvation of their souls. Let others live in pomp and ease ; it is enough for them to be as God will have them be. They are not over- desirous to have worldly things, or too much dejected and cast down through the want of them. But those that are greedy and earnest, and covet more than God seeth meet to bestow upon them, as they for- feit the blessing of God's presence, so, by enlarging their desires, they make way for their own discontent when they are not satisfied, and so fall into murmuring against God, and so into all disquiet of mind about earthly things.